Daring To Hope
by HanaYuuki Tensha
Summary: The Mutant X team must join forces with Adam's long lost daughter Hope and her friend Darien to rescue Adam before Mason Eckhart mummifies him alive!
1. Chapter 1: The Escape Artists

Chapter 1: The Escape Artists  
  
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Author's note: I'm both a Mutant X and Sailor Moon fan, so I wondered what would happen if Adam had a daughter he had never met. I created two characters for this story. The first one, Hope Landos, has Sailor Uranus's ability to cause earthquakes. The other, Darien Talodine (named after the Sailor Moon character by the same first name), has Sailor Mercury's ability to control water. In this story, Mason has hooked Adam up to a machine that sucks- literally! It sucks the blood out of a person, mummifying them alive. The Mutant X team, along with Hope and Darien, must outwit Mason to get Adam back and to reverse the Vampire Machine, it's technical name. Review, SVP. Thanks!  
  
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Looking down the hallway of the living quarters of Genomex, a slightly red-haired girl slowly made her way to the escape exit. She had to find her biological father at all cost, even though she knew Mason Eckhart hated him. Her late mother, Aurora Landos, had sent her a letter two weeks ago that held the greatest secret she had never known- Mason was not her father. She had always known that Mason had something against her for some time, but could never put her finger on it. Now, as she finally slipped out, into the alleyway that led to the street, she recalled the name her mother had written as her biological father's name- Adam Kane.  
  
Finally out of the lab rat house, she prayed that somehow she would be able to find Sanctuary- or that someone from there would find her and take her to it. Being Mason's guinnea pig for almost twenty-two years had caused her mind to move from creative to survival mode. There was something that Erkhart hadn't known, however- she had a special gift, or mutation. The first and most important was the ability to make earthquakes. That one she had never been able to officially use because of Mason's expiriments with mutants, which had frightened her into secrecy.  
  
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As she slipped into the coffee shop nearest her, the auroma of french vanilla slowly worked it's magic on her frayed nerves. She cautiously sauntered over to one of the booths, where a young man with brown hair held a fragrant, warm cup of double shot french vanilla cappuccino out to her. As she took it from him, she saw that his hand was shaking slightly, a nervous tick he had attained a few weeks ago. He was as afraid as she was about her escape.  
  
"Hope! You made it out- I was scared you were going to get caught," the guy said, relief flooding his voice.  
  
Blushing, she realized that she might have been a teenie bit too cautious, causing her to be late for their meeting. "Sorry, Darien- I guess I had planned this thing way too carefully. The good news is, I escaped undetected. With Mason there all the time lately, the alarm system has become useless. Thank goodness his cohort in the security room had the day off."  
  
Looking concerned, Darien said, "Well, don't relax quite yet. If he finds out before Brennan and his friends come get us, we'll both end up being disected like frogs." Quietly, Hope nodded. They had made it this far, but one single slip-up could jeopardize their disappearing act.  
  
"And it looks like you 'froggies' live to hop another day!" A male voice, unfamiliar to Hope, interrupted their discussion. A big smile made it's way to Darien's face as he stood up and walked over to one of two guys, who had apparrently heard him reminding Hope about their possible fate. "Hey, Darien- how are you, man?"  
  
"Pretty good, Brennan." Darien said, as the two of them shook hands. Then, turning around, he said, "Hope, this is Brennan and the other guy is Jesse. Jesse, Brennan, this is Hope Landos- I told you about her."  
  
She went over and shook hands with both newcomers. She knew that they were probably as eager to get away as she was, but did not want to look suspicious to the coffee house personel. They delayed a few minutes, each getting their own java, as well as Brennan ordering an extra one. As soon as all were ready, they sauntered out to a van, where a blonde woman, looking a little older than Hope, sat in the drivers' seat, and got in.  
  
"Here you go, Shalimar- your favorite flavor." Brennan said, handing the blonde one of the coffees. "And we have them with us."  
  
"Good- now let's get out of here before Eckhart sees us," Shalimar said, turning the van on.  
  
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It seemed like an uneventful ride for a while, and, since it was past midnight, Hope was beginning to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, the vehicle started to shake, and there were thumps sounding on each side of it, jolting her out of limboland! Looking out the windshield, she saw that they were in a wheat field, but that they were no longer in a van. It was like one of those flying machines in sci-fi movies, only much sleeker and smaller. And soon it was no longer on the ground, being hit by grain and chaff. It was--flying? 


	2. Chapter 2: Hope's Prophecy

Chapter 2: Hope's Prophecy  
  
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"Oh, holy cow!" Hope whispered, grasping the arms of her seat as the van turned into a flying ship.  
  
"What?" Shalimar asked teasingly, as she sat in the pilot's seat. "You've never seen a flying machine before?"  
  
"Well, I've seen one, Shalimar, but I've never ridden in a van that transforms into one," the girl replied, trying to sound humorous. Truth to tell, however, she was shocked that such a massive vehicle could turn into an aerobatic machine without crashing! Slowly, she regathered her composure, and said, "Boy, that was a surprise!"  
  
Laughing softly, since Brennan, Jesse, and Darien had fallen asleep, Shalimar said, "Well, when you're part of Mutant X for as long as Brennan, Jesse, and I have been, you learn to take these things for granted, just like normal people take living for granted." Even though she had spoken softly, Hope knew those were very wise words, to which she could only nod her agreement.  
  
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The pyrokenetic one, Lexa Pierce, greeted the five of them with a smile as soon as they arrived. After the formalities had been exchanged, Lexa said, "Well, Hope, let's find you a room to stay in, shall we?" So far, she was being hospitable, but she had asked so many questions that it looked as if Hope would become dizzy; for no sooner had she answered one question than another would be asked. Lexa was eager to get to know the newest resident.  
  
"Ah, excuse me, Lexa," Shalimar said with a surprizing cool-headedness in her voice. "Until her room is ready, I could share mine." Such a stun of generosity made Hope swiftly turn to face her new friend, mouth wide open with amazement.  
  
Looking relieved, Lexa asked, "Are you sure, Shalimar?"  
  
Successfully hiding her pride, the blonde said, "Of course! She could choose a room tonight and stay with me until it's all set up!" Looking directly at Hope, there was a twinkle in her eyes, as she addressed the blue eyed red-head. "So, how about it? Does that sound like a plan, Hope?" With a grateful smile, Hope's nod showed her relief and understanding of Shalimar's real motivation.  
  
With a glad sigh, Lexa knew her plan was working. "All right. Let's look for a room to put her in." As she led the procession through the living quarters, she realized, with a surprizing happiness, that she wasn't going to be in control of Mutant X much longer- and all thanks to Hope, Darien, and Shalimar.  
  
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It was about two AM the next morning when Hope, in a blue sleeping bag on the floor, shot into sitting position, gasping loudly. The dream she had just had scared the tar out of her, and it dragged Shalimar out of her own sleep. "Whoa!" Hope whispered loudly. "That felt so real!" Her shoulder throbbed from pain that had come during the nightmare.  
  
There was a groan from Shalimar before she asked, "Hmm? What's going on- what happened?" Hope started crying, causing her friend to wake up completely. Getting up and walking over to the younger woman, Shalimar hugged her. "Hope, what happened? Was it a bad dream?"  
  
"Yeah," came the whisper. The tears came slower, but more from relief than from fear.  
  
"Want to talk about it?"  
  
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It took about five minutes before they spoke about the dream, as well as other things.  
  
"You know, I hate to admit this, but I've never really trusted Mason," Hope began in a voice level that only the two of them could hear.  
  
Shalimar nodded, and, in the same voice level, said, "I know- he creeps me out. I think your boyfriend Darien feels the same."  
  
Cocking one eyebrow, Hope asked, "Who said anything about Darien being my boyfriend? He and I are extremely close, yes, but we're not dating! So where did you get that idea?"  
  
Looking a little hurt, the older one said, "I just figured that since he was the one who initially invited you, and since you two are so loyal to each other, that you two were dating or engaged or something."  
  
Smiling softly, the red-head said, "I have to be honest with you, Shalimar, I wish it was that way. You see, I started having a crush on him in eighth grade. It continued for quite a while, and by the end of fall semester of my freshman year in college, I started to wonder if I couldn't possibly be in love with Darien.  
  
"Well, I still have the same feelings for him, but he still thinks of me as his best bud, as far as I know. And unless he takes the initialive to ask me to be his girlfriend, I'm actually content with how things are."  
  
The last sentence surprized Shalimar. None of her other girl friends were content to just be friends with a guy if they had a crush on him. Sure, Hope was impulsive, but there was something that was helping her to refrain herself from throwing herself at guys- something that Shalimar wished her other friends had. She smiled and said, "I'm glad we cleared that up, then. Well, what was the dream you had?"  
  
Sighing, Hope explained it well.  
  
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Hope: The team was planning a strategy to rescue my biological father (Adam). Each one was putting in their ideas except for Lexa, because every time a good idea that would work was put forth, she would disagree with it. Brennan's was that I quake the entrance to distract Eckhart, you look for the room Adam was trapped in, Jesse break down the outer wall of that room, and that Brennan himself deactivate any electronic traps or lazers that may have been set up. Jesse's plan was that you search for Adam, again Brennan deactivate the traps, I quake down the room's door, and that he purposefully crash Double Helix through the outer wall. Again, Lexa disagreed, but neither you, Darien, or I put in our two cents, because just as I started to ask why, the scenery changed. We weren't at Sanctuary anymore- it was in the Genomex room where Adam is being held! I've never been inside that room myself, but I saw him tied to a chair with some wierd machine draining blood out of him and Eckhart was there too! Before any of us could act, he pulled seven knives out of his lab jacket and started tossing them. The first one hit Jesse, dissolving him into nothingness! The second hit Brennan, and the metal in the knife sort of amped up the shock power of his electric ability, killing him within moments! The third went straight through you, taking your life instantly, and the fourth, which was directed at me, went into Darien's chest!  
  
Before Mason stabbed either Lexa or Adam, who looked extremely old, I managed to knock the remaining knives out of his hands with my earthquake ability, but it didn't matter. One of them went through Lexa and she died from spontaneous combustion, the second right into Adam, and the next was about to get me, too, when I woke up!  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So you see, Shalimar," Hope continued, "I think the dream was telling me to be careful trying to find my biological father. What's upsetting is that Mason can be so convincingly kind when he wants to be, but there's something about him. It gives me the creeps- something that screams, 'Traitor! Murderer!' It pleads for me to say, 'Get thee behind me, you demon!'" After a minute of silence, she said, "The only thing that keeps me from doing just that is you guys- you, Brennan, Jesse, Darien, and Lexa- and my determination to find Adam."  
  
Shalimar smiled in the dark, as she said, "Don't worry, Hope; I read somewhere that the word 'worry' is actually Russian for 'strangle.' Please don't strangle yourself over Eckhart- just focus on finding your real dad. Okay?"  
  
Trying to look at her roommate's face despite the darkness of the room, she said, in a relaxedly happy whisper, "I'll promise, but only if you will, too."  
  
Grasping each other's wrists, they sealed their promise, and soon thereafter, the two girls fell asleep again, with no dreams or nightmares to interrupt their rest until morning light. In the next room, however, Darien couldn't sleep. He had heard Hope tell Shalimar how she felt about him and how she was waiting for him to make the first move. Sure, he'd always known that she had a crush on him, but was glad that she never tried to force something on him that wasn't his choice. Now, for some wierd reason, he wanted to ask her out. Whether it was out of appreciation or because he was starting to feel the same way she did or even both, he didn't know- he only knew that she had somehow discovered the true secret to getting a guy; patience. 


	3. Chapter 3: Emotional Shockwaves

Chapter 3: Emotional Shockwaves  
  
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Pulling her jacket closer around her as she hiked along the path near the mountain that hid Sanctuary with Shalimar, Darien, and Brennan, Hope couldn't help but notice the beauty of the trees that fall day. The leaves had turned golden as they prepared for winter and it somehow relaxed each of them, temporarily turning their worried minds away from their missing mentor. Until now, there had been a pleasant silence between the four of them.  
  
"Everything is like a painting out here," Hope said in a contemplative manner. Everyone looked at her, wondering what she meant. "It is as if we're not only looking at it- we're actually living it." She stopped and looked at the leaves again, continuing in a dreaming voice. "People within choose to either look at the picture without participating, or just stand around as only part of the scenery, or make the picture come alive."  
  
Shalimar finally spoke up. "What do you mean, Hope?"  
  
Looking at the ground, the red-haired girl answered, "For such a long time, I've been one of those that are only looking at the picture. Eckhart kept me away from the outside world, kept me from living authentically, living my own life, made me feel trapped." Tears, full of relief, slowly filled her eyes, blurring her vision for a second before they escaped to the open air.  
  
"Once I came to Sanctuary, I actually felt as if I were actually in a painting and that I was at last where I belonged, where I could be myself unashamedly, uninhibitedly. And-" she paused to grasp air with her lungs, "- and I owe that to all of you guys. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to be free from Eckhart's heartless, stifling mind games. I- thank you, guys. Thank you so much- you five- you helped me escape. A famous person once said, 'And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.' Thank you for helping me find the truth. You all helped set me free!"  
  
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As soon as they were inside Sanctuary, laughing because of some jokes everyone exchanged, Lexa met them. She looked more angry than they had ever seen her. "There is a major problem, you guys- Eckhart sent a holograph message, saying that, if none of us tells him where Sanctuary is, and if Adam refuses to tell him, he'll hook him up to some wierd machine- the Vampire, I believe he called it."  
  
Hope winced as she spoke. "That's exactly what it's called, Lexa- I've seen it myself. And that is it's job, guys- it basically drains a person's blood out of them, mummifying them alive." Then, gulping several times, she continued. "And I'm as guilty as Eckhart is. You see, when I was six years old, I was very into building things with legos and a big science kit.  
  
"He asked me to help him build something, sort of a daddy/daughter bonding thing. What he didn't tell me was that what we'd be building was some sort of death machine, so I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until about three weeks ago when I saw him kill my mother with that thing- because I was not his daughter!"  
  
Suddenly she looked as if she had been physically cut by this memory and she started shaking violently as she cried loudly, "Just because I wasn't their child was no excuse for killing my mother! He thought he could get away with murdering her- now he's trying to kill my father with the very same method he used to take my mother's life! HOW DARE HE!" She was screaming, unseeing, venting all the anger that was pent up against Mason Eckhart. "I WON'T LET YOU WIN, ECKHART! I WON'T LET YOU!"  
  
She was gasping for air, her head spinning, her heart quaking in her chest, the floor began to shake, all before she collapsed to the floor. Shalimar was first by her side and called Hope's name, to no avail for the moment. Jesse picked her up and took her to the medical lab, praying, for a rare few seconds, that she was all right, since she had obviously been through a lot of tough times.  
  
Watching his fellow team members follow Jesse, who carried Hope, Darien waited until they had all gone into the med lab to weap himself. His dear friend had been trying hard not to show the pain she felt and, up until today, had done it very well. Her way of releasing anger until now was to go somewhere to be alone, a place where she could cry, scream, cause an earthquake in that area. Now he realized that her torrent of rage wasn't out of anger- it was emotional pain within her, a pain that refused to stay caged any longer.  
  
It reminded him of when he himself felt alone, lost, afraid, furious with the world. His own parents, all full of themselves and ignorant, didn't fight for him when his aunt and uncle started to abuse he and his sister. When the aunt and uncle died, he thought that the proof left behind on his sister CV and himself would convince their parents to help him. It did not work.  
  
It was an amazement that their grandmother took them in under her wing when their parents died. She was the only rightful guardian that the Child Protective Services would allow to take care of them, despite opposition. It took years for him to open up enough to befriend Hope and share their deep, dark secrets. After washing his face, he went to the med lab to check up on the girl that he was now starting to feel something for. On his way, a startling thought came to him; 'Could I actually be falling in love with her?'  
  
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It was around midnight when Hope finally regained sensation, although she didn't open her eyes. Her sudden rage shocked even her, as she had never gone through such a fit before. At the same time that she felt terrible about it, she was feeling a little bit better. The hurt, the anger, the pain she felt was lessened now, but it was still there. She felt a cool washcloth being gently brushed across her face. She groaned softly, in a weak voice, realizing that sometime during her unconcious state, she had had a fever, which had just then broken.  
  
"Hey," came Shalimar's whispering voice. "Feeling better, yet?"  
  
"Shal? Is that you?" Hope wimpered in a scared voice.  
  
"Yeah, Hope, I'm right here, sweetie," the gentle voice replied. Her eyes were forcing themselves open to see her friend's sweet face. "You were pretty worn out, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." It was said in a whisper. Hope found that she was out of tears, but she wasn't out of grief. She had lashed out in anger in front of her new friends and, worst of all, in front of Darien! "Shal?" She started to say.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I'm sorry about everything I said. I hadn't meant to worry about Eckhart and what he said he'd do to Adam." Sighing deeply, she said, "I guess worrying does strangle people- mentally and emotionally, certainly; but it can physically strangle someone, too. Can you forgive me?" Looking into her friend's eyes, she saw a twinkle of understanding and caring.  
  
"What's to forgive, Hope?" Shalimar asked. "You went through some very tough things, and the pain from them wouldn't stay within you. If you mean that you want forgiveness for losing your temper, sweetie, I forgive you. If you mean you want it for helping Mr. Anti-Einstein with that machine, then there's no need- you were young enough for him to control, so he's the one who needs to pay."  
  
Leaning forward, she continued, "Hope, your name means the same as the word. The word 'hope' means believing that something good will happen, whether the situation is good or bad, whether people are for you or against you, whether you have a good past or a bad past. I know it may be hard for you to take me at my word, but losing hope is about as bad as worrying.  
  
"Pesimistic ideas, as a matter of fact, are purely ideas one makes up that causes one to worry; thus they strangle any, if not all, chances of hope starting a wildfire within them. You've got more hope than any pesimist that I know, and that includes Eckhart. If you keep hope alive in you, there's no question that whatever worry there is left will strangle itself out just worrying about not making you worry!" There was a goofy smile on her face, causing Hope to laugh at last.  
  
"Sorry, Worry- ya gatta go now! Never gonna see ya again!" Hope said in her hand/phone, a twinkle glowing in her own eye. "Buh-bye!" Now both girls were laughing uncontrolably, making everyone else, who had all been unable to sleep that night, run to see what all the laughter was about. But that only sent them into another fit of giggles and, quite accidentally, a snort from both Hope and Shalimar, which only added to the wildfire. It caused everyone else to join them, still clueless as to the joke.  
  
Later, when the girls tried to settle down, for one last night before Hope moved into her new room, the memory of their joke and the silence itself made them snicker harder all the more. And it continued for the rest of the night, but despite the lack of sleep the next morning, both girls, though more calm, smiled broadly. The other team members still didn't get the joke, but that didn't bother the now-best-friends, who were eager to face the day. 


	4. Chapter 4: Adam & Aurora

Chapter 4: Adam's Secret: Aurora's Attempt  
  
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Adam's head lolled back and forth on his neck, trying to awaken from one of Eckhart's powerful anesthetics. He had successfully stopped himself from revealing the location of Sanctuary. But he knew that it would only be a matter of time until the madman would make good of his threats. 'How come this wierdo took me hostage?' He thought, about to fall asleep again. 'What did I do?'  
  
"Ah! The patient is awake at last!" An evil, metalic voice cut through his thoughts. "Good morning, Adam Kane!"  
  
Prying his eyes open, Adam saw that he was in Eckhart's Genomex DNA lab, and realized that the voice was none other than that of Mason Eckhart himself. "Okay, Eckhart- why am I here?" He had said that sarcastically.  
  
The albino man's face leaned over his as he said, "More apropriately, Kane, why do you always seem to get in the way of what I want?"  
  
"I don't get it," Adam slurred.  
  
"Obviously not, idiot;" the scientist said angrilly. "Allow me to fill you in on what I am talking about! First and foremost, why do you always take the mutants that I create, that I research, and make them your own? Second, why did you steal my wife's heart from me? And third, why were you and Aurora so stupid that your little affair created one more pitiful human lab rat?" He was now shouting at his former fellow scientist.  
  
"What do you mean, another human lab rat?" Adam was now fully awake, just now grasping what he was hearing.  
  
Gasping sarcastically, the lunatic said, "You mean you didn't know?" Then, with a furiously hateful voice, he screamed, "I know about what happened between you and my late wife, Adam Kane! I know that you stole her away from me and that the two of you had a little girl, who, up until now, I have believed was my own flesh and blood! And if you don't tell me where Sanctuary is, I swear by my life, you will die! Dr. Grevente, fetch the girl and bring her right here immediately!" He yelled out the door.  
  
After a minute, Grevente appeared in the lab doorway, breathless. "Sir, the girl Hope is gone! She's missing! She must have gotten away when the security system was down!"  
  
"Are you certain!" Now the madman was extremely furious.  
  
"Positive! I went to her room to get her and she's nowhere in it!"  
  
Amazingly, Eckhart laughed wickedly. "Well, well, Kane, it looks as if your daughter has your genetics and her mother's mind! All the better for me, it seems, for if she has gone to Sanctuary with your friends, as I believe she has, then I will catch them all in one net- and both you and your little girl will die bonding together just as her mother did!" Once finished, he laughed even harder.  
  
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Little did he know that Hope's mother, Aurora Landos, was still alive and well. Though the Vampire had drained her of most of her blood, she managed to fake death and escape from the mortuary she had been sent to. Aurora was slowly regaining her normal form, returning to the nice bodied woman she once was beforehand. Waiting until there was about one last pint of blood in her, she strategically collapsed the vein that the transferance tube was in, tricking the machine into stopping the process. As soon as it had shut off, she slowed her heartbeat down to a pace that went undetected by the heart monitor, thus tricking Eckhart into thinking she had died.  
  
Now, as she was completely back to her old self, she looked at her reflection in the mirror in her apartment. She then realized, with a slight wince, that her hair would be the one thing that would not be returning to it's previous state. It had been as gold as sunlight before she had been hooked up to the Vampire; now it was a lovely silvery white, which she thought, at the time, would not work to her advantage. Even though she had her figure and smile back, she knew it would be hard convincing Hope that she was indeed still alive. After running a brush through her hair and adding a few finishing touches to her makeup, she grabbed her purse from the table and swiftly left the apartment.  
  
She knew that on Fridays, usually all day, Hope and one of her new lady friends from Sanctuary would go shopping at the Dayaccida Mall ritualistically. From what she had seen, the store they'd always start off with was Shaida Books, as Hope loved reading manga graphic novels and always bought one during each visit. Today Aurora was going to Dayaccida in an attempt to tell Hope she hadn't died. She knew it would be a chore since she had been "dead" for over two and a half weeks now, but she had to at least try and explain, anyway. Getting into her new Mary Kay Cadillac, she adjusted the mirrors, driver's seat, and air conditioning before she pulled out of the complex driveway. 


	5. Chapter 5: Heart Of Love

Chapter 6: Heart Of Love  
  
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Officially sanctioned as the team's control center operator, Darien was content. Ever since he had attained the role by unanimous vote, he had known that he would be busy "keeping tabs on the enemy", as Hope often said. But it didn't bother him as much as Mason Eckhart did, knowing that he was probably using Adam as bait to catch Hope. 'Well, let him try!' he thought sardonically. 'That wierdo may be a wise guy, but he sure ain't no wise man! He's a brainiac, but he ain't smart enough to care about no one but his own stupid self!'  
  
"Hey, Darien, could you come back to reality, now?" came a voice behind him. It was Brennan, who had apparently noticed that he had spaced out for a second.  
  
"Oh, hey, dude- I was just thinking about something." He smiled, but it was a distracted smile. "Brennan, have you ever been great friends with a girl and wanted more than just a friendship, but you wanted them to make the first move and yet also wanted to do that yourself?"  
  
For a moment, Brennan was silent. Then, cautiously, he said, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I was only friends with Shal for some time, but I knew I wanted more than that. It was actually the day Lexa kissed me when I knew how badly I loved Shal. I finally got the courage to tell her that I loved her, and she didn't run the other way like I thought she would." Another pause, and then he continued, "Guess you want that with Hope, don't you?"  
  
Darien nodded, now looking worried. "The thing is, she's old-fashioned, and I admire her for that. She doesn't wear revealing clothes or anything that advertizes sick things, her manner is always like that of a real woman, she respects her elders and peers alike, and she never uses swear words- maybe substitutes, but never swear words!  
  
"And her vocab is overall incredible- you should hear or read some of the words she says or writes! She's a great example of a woman that actually behaves like one! I just wish she would step up to the plate, so to speak. Ruth, her favorite book character, did that, and she got a guy named Boaz. But, at the same time, I want a Sleeping Beauty storyline- and Eckhart is the sorcerer trying to keep me from saving Hope!"  
  
Brennan smiled knowingly. "Well then, tell her."  
  
Facing the electric mutant, the water warior said, "What good would that do? She'd probably hit the highway if I did! And even if she doesn't run away, then I don't know what would happen!"  
  
"I don't know, either, but no one will unless you try it." Putting a friendly hand on Darien's shoulder, Brennan said, "C'mon, dude- ya gotta find out, don't ya? As those Nike commercials used to say, 'Just Do It!' If you're right and Hope's reaction isn't good, you can say, 'I told you so.' If I'm right, I won't actually say it, but I will let you know that's what I mean. Deal?" He held out his hand in the same gesture used to make a bet.  
  
Looking quizzical for a moment, Darien realized he had little choice in the matter, so he shook his friend's hand, hoping deeply that his fear would indeed be disproven. "Deal!"  
  
When Shalimar, Lexa, and Hope returned to Sanctuary, nearly nine hours after they had left, they had another woman along with them. She had silvery white hair and looked a little like Hope, but with twenty-five years difference. When she told the guys that she was Aurora Landos, Hope's mother, they were suspicious to begin with, but the retelling of her story, with Hope's help, they were convinced.  
  
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There was a knock on Hope's bedroom door around eight o'clock that evening, and Hope was inside, reading the latest copy of Vive magazine. "Come in!" she called out, and the door opened, although she didn't really notice.  
  
"Hey, can I talk with ya?"  
  
Surprised, she looked up and made eye contact with Darien, the last person she had expected to see there. There was something about him tonight that made her want to blush, but she didn't know what it was exactly. 'Could it be the Spycer cologne he smelled of? Is it his khaki painter's pants, white shirt, white shoes, and jean jacket? Might it not be his always killer smile?' she started thinking at random. "Darien!" she exclaimed with a slight stutter. "I didn't know you were there!"  
  
His laugh was easy-going as he said, "No biggie- just wanted to know if we could talk about something. I figured we could go down to the cafeteria for a while." Then, as if escorting her to the prom or some other big event, he held his hand towards her and, arm in arm, they went downstairs together.  
  
As they were on their way, they were oblivious to the two pairs of eyes that watched them. One of the pair's owners, Brennan, whispered to Shalimar, the owner of the other pair, "Looks like they're getting very close to becoming an item." He sounded proud of himself for some reason.  
  
Shalimar looked at him with curiousity. "Okay, Brennan- what did you do to him?"  
  
Smiling slyly and rolling his eyes away from her, he replied, "Nothing!"  
  
Despite her temporary scowel, she couldn't help but like Brennan's flirtacious attitude. Teasingly, she muttered, "Come on- let's see what happens!" With that, the two of them snuck down to the cafeteria, where Darien and Hope were talking together.  
  
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"So, what's up?" Hope asked when they arived at their destination.  
  
Darien was nervous as he said, "Well, Hope, first off, I kinda overheard what you were saying to Shalimar about wanting me to make the first move that first night you were here. It was an accident, honestly- I couldn't sleep at all. I was tossing and turning, trying to find a good position that would make me fall asleep, when I heard you crying in the next room.  
  
"As I listened, I heard what you were saying about what you wanted to happen between us and how you were content with how things are unless- or until- I were to start something. I, ah, just wanted to say that I really appreciate it- your waiting, I mean. I mean, not many girls these days are willing to do that, so it's refreshing to know a girl will be patient enough and, ah, I just wanted to thank you for doing that." Then, clearing his throat in a nervous gesture, he asked, "So, Hope, I was wondering; will you be my girlfriend?"  
  
His explaination was in itself a surprize to Hope; his question, however, was a pleasant shock. In a soft, coy voice, she said, "You really mean it?" His entire face took on a smile as he nodded. Then, in a teasingly haughty tone, she said, "And just why, Darien Talodine, would anyone- specifically Mason Eckhart- think that I won't do just that?" Then, in her normally sweet voice, she answered, "You know I will, Darien- you know I will."  
  
Suddenly, in an unexpected gesture, Darien leaned down and, in the sweetest moment in Hope's keleidescope-hurricaine life, he gently kissed her on her lips. She had never been kissed in any way by any guy in her entire life, so she felt a flood of happiness overcome her when he did so. 'Oh, wow! Awesome, cool, fantastic, extremely great!' she thought as he slowly pulled away. Opening her blue eyes, she found that she was breathless and that her heart was soaring higher than ever before. "Oh my gosh, that was so wonderful!" she said in a joyous rush.  
  
"Yeah- my first ever and hopefully not my last!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Yours, too?" Her expression was full of surprize and glee. Then, laughing, she said, "It feels kind of nice to have one's first kiss, then, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, it does." Then, holding each other's hands, they walked together to the lab/control room, where, Brennan and Shal were frantically attempting to cover up their spy operation. 


	6. Chapter 6: The Reunion & The Revelations

Chapter 5: The Reunion & The Revelations  
  
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Shalimar knocked on Hope's bedroom door and asked, "Hope, are you ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah, almost- come on in," came the reply from within. The blonde went in and saw the red-head rummaging through one of her drawers. Looking up, Hope said, "Shal, do you have any idea where I may have put my ATM card? I've looked all over the room and I can't find it anywhere!" She then continued her quest throughout her drawers.  
  
Her friend didn't have supersonic abilities for nothing. Focusing her energy on finding the missing piece of plastic, her eyes turned light yellow as she looked around the room. Spotting a rectangular shape item in Hope's wallet, which she prefered to carry around inside her draw-string purse, Shalimar said, "Have you checked your wallet? I think it may be in there."  
  
Walking over to the makeup-laden bag, Hope searched until she found the wallet and, sure enough, the card was in one of the slots. With a sigh of relief escaping her lips, she said, "Thanks- you're a life-saver!" Returning the wallet and the card into the purse, closing it up, and swinging it's straps across her shoulders, she nodded with satisfaction. "Now I'm ready to go!"  
  
"Great! Let's hit the road, then! Lexa's waiting for us at Double Helix- I hope you don't mind me asking her to come with us." Shalimar said, a touch of anxiety in her voice.  
  
Clicking her tongue, Hope said, "Shame, shame! I thought we agreed to not worry about anything anymore! She's a girl, too, and she obviously has the shopping gene, just like we do, so I don't mind her coming. Now there is only one thing that we hafta worry about, Shal- not overloading Double Helix with so much stuff!" Both Shalimar and Hope laughed as they went down to meet with Lexa.  
  
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Aurora, who was at the mall before the three younger women arrived, walked over to her favorite Italian restaurant booth and ordered a plate of spagetti. 'Surely by now,' she thought as she sat down and took her first bite, 'she should be here. What is taking her so long?' Just as the thought finished, she spotted three girls walking through the food court to the Chicken Shoppe, a booth that Hope visited every time she went to the mall. Between the blonde and the brunette, she saw her red-headed target, who, oblivious to the eyes that watched her, was reading her latest copy of Moon Girl manga book.  
  
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"Welcome to the Chicken Shoppe- may I take your order?" the girl behind the counter said in a slightly mechanical voice.  
  
Peeking over her book, Hope said sweetly, "That depends, C.V.- does the menu include a smile from the employee?"  
  
With a gleeful gasp, the raven-haired girl exclaimed, "Hope! I didn't know you were here!"  
  
"C'mon, C.V.- I'm always here on Fridays, and you tell me this?" Hope's eyes glittered with mischief.  
  
Now smiling, C.V. returned to her main question, but in a more pleasant voice. "Well, now I know. You want the usual, right?"  
  
"You got it, girl. Same price?"  
  
"Ah, let me check..." her friend said as she calculated the price on the register. Then, with that figured out, she said, "Yup- the exact amount as usual."  
  
As Hope counted out the money to pay for her meal, the blonde woman with her looked around, sensing eyes on she and her two friends. Scanning the croud carefully with her supersonic vision, her own eyes landed on a woman who seemed to have an older version of Hope's figure. The woman, who had silvery white hair, was looking intentedly at the red-haired girl. Usually Shalimar, the blonde one, had the creeps whenever someone was watching either her or her friends, but there was something about this woman that was longing for something or someone.  
  
"Oh, Shal!" called Hope in a sing- song voice. "Earth to Shalimar Fox!"  
  
"Hmm?" Shaking her head, Shalimar returned to normality. "Sorry, Hope- I thought I felt someone's eyes watching you, so I had to search for them."  
  
"Find anything?" Now Hope felt the eyes on her, but she curiously felt more comfort than she did fear.  
  
"Yeah, I did. Do you see that silvery haired lady over there?" she replied, cautiously pointing to where the strange woman sat.  
  
Squinting for a second, the younger one looked over to where Shalimar had pointed. Then, the next moment, Hope caught her breath when she saw the woman and whispered in a slightly hoarse voice, "That woman! She looks- she looks exactly like- my mother! But- how could that be?! I- I- I saw her die with my own eyes! I must be going crazy from my grief over her!" Then, more resolutedly, she said, "But I need to know for certain if I'm dreaming or not!" Holding her head high, despite the fact that her knees were quaking, she walked over to the table where the woman sat.  
  
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The red-haired girl, her two friends in tow, was coming her way. Aurora decided to carefully lead them into a safer place, somewhere that they could see each other face to face. Getting up from her table and depositing the paper goods in the trash and tray in its place, she sauntered through the croud, weaving slowly enough to be seen and to avoid suspicion, finally going into one of the clothing stores.  
  
Sure enough, the three girls followed her, and she manouvered her way into the women's outfit department. Again, the threesome followed her lead, but this time, instead of moving into another area, Aurora stopped. Turning to face them, she whispered to the red-head, although the other two heard also, "It's been a while, hasn't it, Hope?"  
  
Needing more assurance, Hope slowly approached the older woman. As she did, Aurora held out one hand, palm up, and, as soon as one of the girl's hands landed in it, she placed the other on top. At that, all confusion and doubt left Hope and, knowing for sure that this was real, she hugged Aurora in an embrace that seemed to say, "Don't ever let me go- ever!"  
  
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Later in the ladies' restroom waiting area, the four ladies were talking in an attempt to get aquainted. "I know I have much explaining to do," Aurora said kindly to Hope, Shalimar, and Lexa. "And I intend to do just that. You see, just a few weeks before I married Mason Eckhart, I was on the verge of suicide. I didn't want to marry him, but because of his control freak attitude, I was forced to go ahead with it.  
  
"Adam, who was an associate of Eckhart's at the time, tried to encourage me to fight back." She smiled at the mention of Adam's name. "He almost convinced me to, but while we were talking, we found out that we loved each other. Only it was not in the way that we really should have- we both released all logical resolve and gave ourselves away to each other. It was both a miracle and a curse for us.  
  
"The miracle was that you were born, Hope. The curse was that Eckhart found out our secret and is going to try to kill Adam in the same way that he almost killed me. Most likely he's being used as bait to catch you, and then Eckhart will kill you after you watch your biological father die, using the same method! The only reason that I escaped from death was that I am sort of a mutant. I have the ability to make myself look different from what I really am- an illusionist, I suppose.  
  
"I waited until the Vampire, the machine, that is, had drained me of all except two pints of my blood, colapsed the vein the transference tube was in, and slowed my heartbeat to an undetectable rate, tricking the heart monotor into basically saying that I was dead. Later, I managed to sneak out of the local morgue and, after a while in hiding, finally returned to a more recognizable state. So, you see, girls, I didn't want Hope to think I was dead, but there was really no other alternative."  
  
Hope, who had been quietly listening up until now, looked over at Shalimar and asked, "Should I tell her my secret?" Her friend nodded and she then asked Lexa the same question. With both in agreement, she looked at her mother and said, in a slightly insecure tone, "I'll understand if you reject me when I tell you this, but I probably won't understand why to begin with." 'Here it goes', she thought. 'I hope this works out.' Then, taking a deep breath, she said in a rush, "Mother, I'm a mutant that can make earthquakes occur."  
  
For a moment, Aurora was silent, but there was a loving smile on her face. "I know, dear."  
  
Hope's jaw dropped as she said, "What?"  
  
Nodding at her, the older woman said, "I've known since you were a baby that you could do that. You see, sweetie, whenever you needed something and weren't getting it, you cried out in anger, like normal babies do. But it wasn't your crying that got my attention each time. Whenever you'd cry, if you were ignored, you would get angry and that would always start shaking the ground. At first, I thought nothing of it; I figured that it was only an aftershock from any earthquake that might have hit. What made me realize the truth was that one day, when you had hit the terrible twos, so to speak.  
  
"I was picking up your building blocks, knowing that it was way past your bedtime, while you were still playing with them. Well, you started screaming and crying, and I scolded you, but it only grew louder. Suddenly, as I was about to pick you up and take you to your room, the floor started to shake, which I knew was unusual. The shaking grew stronger at the same time that your screams were, and that is when I realized that the earthquakes weren't from any aftershocks- it was your anger that created them!"  
  
Temporarily silent, Hope was stunned, so, when she did find her voice, she said, "So you knew this all along? Why didn't you tell me in the first place?"  
  
"I think you know why, sweetheart- if Eckhart knew that you were the one that was causing the quakes, he would have used you for research and, after he was finished, he would kill you. I didn't say anything to either of you because I didn't want anything to happen to you. Do you understand, Hope? You are my daughter and I love you too much to let Eckhart, to let anyone use you for personal gain." By now, tears were running down Hope's cheeks, and Aurora was holding her face, gently wiping them away. "I didn't want either you or your biological father to suffer by my 'death', but I didn't want either of you to die on my account." Then, looking sadly down at the floor, she said, "It looks as though my strategy isn't going to work now, though."  
  
Speaking up at last, Shalimar said, "Who says so, Ms. Landos- you or Eckhart? With both you and Hope to help us at Mutant X, your plan might just work after all!"  
  
"And," Lexa pointed out, "Hope is already giving the gang some great ideas to start off with. Do you really think, Ms. Landos, that any of us will give up finding Adam for the sake of giving Eckhart his own stupid way?"  
  
To finish, Hope finally told her, "I may know a lot of things about science and technology, mother, but I also know this- I am not Mason Eckhart's daughter, but I am Adam Kane's. So if Eckhart thinks he can get away with killing anyone, be it you, Adam, myself, or anyone else at Mutant X, he is so mistaken!"  
  
How mistaken he was, only those of Mutant X, which now included Aurora Landos, would learn later down the road. 


	7. Chapter 7: Bargaining & Trickery

Chapter 7: Bargaining & Trickery  
  
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Adam spent his precious few moments untied pacing the floor in the Genomex lab. What did Eckhart mean when he'd made that wierd crack about bringing another human lab rat into the world? And that the child named Hope wasn't his- how could that be? 'I remember that affair with Aurora, but I never heard about...' he thought before it dawned on him.  
  
'He was saying that... there was a child? But how could that be? She never told me about the child- or was it that she had been forced into silence?' Then, in that very moment, he realized that Eckhart was using him as bait to capture whoever Hope was and then, after a few hours together, they would both die. And it would happen regardless of whether or not his friends bargained with the madman.  
  
He knew also that time was running out, and if he were to be rescued, it would have to be as soon as possible. If Hope were staying at Sanctuary, the danger would be great, but not as great as it would be if she had stayed. 'If she does attempt to rescue me,' Adam thought, 'the only way to succeed at it would be if she could trick him, and I doubt that she could, even though she's lived here such a long time.' Hearing footsteps aproaching the lab, he knew that his minutes of freedom from the chair had ended for the day and, knowing his situation was probably hopeless, he sat down to wait to be retied.  
  
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Back at Sanctuary, a mother and her daughter were together in the kitchen, bonding over some drinks. "So it's official? You and Darien are together?" Aurora asked, taking a sip of her coffee.  
  
Blushing as she swallowed some orange spice tea, Hope said, "Yes, Mother- he finally asked, but I think I sort of prompted him into it. He overheard me talking to Shalimar the first night I was here, after I had had a nightmare about trying to rescue Adam. She had thought that Darien and I were dating, so I had to explain that we were only friends until he asked me to be his girlfriend. I told her that I was content with how things were until then, and when he told me that he overheard that and that he was glad that I hadn't made the first move, I was astonished. Personally, I'm glad that I didn't make the first move, too. Who knows what would have- or would not have- happened if I had?"  
  
"Well, then, I'm very ecstatic for you both- I had always wondered when it would occur, but I decided to allow Fate or Destiny, whichever one exists, to work things out." the older woman said, proud of her daughter's wise decision.  
  
Just then, Jesse came running in. "Hope, Eckhart is confering with everyone by way of another holograph message, and no one else knows what to do."  
  
Looking first at her mother, the girl asked, "Would you mind staying here until it is over, Mother? I don't want you to be put at risk." When the woman nodded, she looked at her friend and, with eyes that held wisdom and a strength she had not known existed in her, said, "Let me handle this. I have a plan that might just work- it isn't fully formed, but I might be able to buy time for everyone. Eckhart wants me, anyway, so there's no use in putting others in danger."  
  
Jesse agreed and the two of them ran into the control center. Sure enough, there was the madman's hologram in the middle of the room, three of the four others standing in a tense triangle.  
  
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"Where is the girl, mutants?" he demanded. "I know you are hiding her with you, so there is no use in trying to conceal it any more! Shall I kill your leader now, or are you going to cooperate with me?"  
  
"What do you want with me, Eckhart?"  
  
The red-haired figure that had just entered the room was flashing anger in her blue eyes, as the hologram replied in fake kindness, "Is that any way to greet your father, Hopie dear?"  
  
"My father? Or the captor of my father?" she replied.  
  
"So you know. How did you discover it?"  
  
"Before Mother died, she left me a note that explained everything to me, such as how you betrayed her into marrying you, how she and my biological father met, when she married you, and, most importantly, when I was born. So I know the truth, Eckhart- there's no use in hiding the facts now, is there?" She then reverted back to the main question. "Again I ask you- what do you want with me?"  
  
"I will tell you, but first, my dear, look into the eyes of your biological father." He said sarcastically, moving out of the way so Hope could see the man who gave her life.  
  
There, restricted to a chair, sat a man who looked very worried and a bit frightened. Slowly, cautiously, the girl aproached the hologram before her and whispered, "So you're the man who helped me live!" The man looked up and, after a moment of searching each other's eyes, she saw something she'd never seen before in Eckhart's- a real father's compassion and love. She smiled softly and said, "If I can help you, Adam, then I shall. If not, then we shall die together." She saw a glimmer show in his eyes, a gesture that, in itself, told her he understood her secret motive.  
  
Then, standing up and facing the man who had been her captor and was now holding Adam prisoner, she said calmly, "All right, Eckhart- I'll make you a deal. If you will release Adam to the safety of his friends at Sanctuary, I will take his place at the Vampire machine."  
  
The scientist snorted mockingly. "A girl like you would do that? How can I know for certain that you are a trustworthy person, hmm?"  
  
"And how will I be able to know that you aren't using my biological father as bait?" Her face was expressing her knowledge about the creep's plan. "So the question isn't, 'Can that person be trusted?'; the truth is, Eckhart, neither of us has any choice but to trust the other. Isn't that right?" Then, with total resolve, Hope said, "Now this is the last time I offer it: If you will release Adam to the safety of his friends at Sanctuary, I will take his place at the Vampire machine. Agreed?"  
  
Her newfound enemy thought that she didn't know what she was getting into; her newfound friends prayed that she did.  
  
With a false aura of acceptance on his face, the enemy said, "Very well, then. You have fourty-eight hours to prepare for this exchange-- no more, no less. Is that understood, young lady?"  
  
Despite the temptation to laugh at him, knowing that the man was putting on a facade, she convincingly said, "Perfectly. Until then." At that moment, the holograph disappeared and the four other mutants with Hope looked at her fearfully. Fully aware of this, the red-head laughed aloud and said, "Sucker!"  
  
"What do you mean, Hope? You just bargained with someone who isn't worth the trouble in the first place!" Shalimar squeaked her confusion.  
  
"Who says that I was bargaining with Eckhart?" The younger girl looked at her blonde friend with a mischeivious twinkle in her eye and smile. "More than likely, Shal, he tried to trick me into doing that anyway, so I'm turning the tables on him. You see, his plan is probably to get me to try and rescue Adam with everyone's help and kill all of you, but hook me up to the Vampire at the same time it is hooked up to Adam. He knows about you, Brennan, Jesse, and Lexa, but he doesn't know about Darien and I, and he still thinks Mother is dead. I'm getting everyone involved, so there's no need to worry." The last part of the reply was directed at Shalimar, the one who had asked her to quit worrying in the first place.  
  
"Involved in what?" Another voice rang out. It was Darien, who had just gotten through with his jog on one of the treadmills.  
  
"I've got a plan that might help get Adam back, and I'm going to need everyone's help."  
  
"Uh-oh!" 


	8. Chapter 8: Prelude To A Butt Kick

Chapter 8: Prelude To A Butt Kick  
  
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Pacing his bedroom floor, Brennan frowned. For so many weeks, he and his friends had been conviced that Adam was dead and, after a major fight, he believed that Eckhart was as well, courtesy of his lightning bolts. Now, not only did he realize how wrong he was on both accounts, but he was no longer sure that the Adam Kane he knew was good. He no longer knew if he wanted to rescue his mentor, no longer knew if he could trust anyone except Jesse, Shalimar, Darien, and Hope, no longer knew who he really was anymore.  
  
There was a knock on the door, luring him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he called, and the next second, Hope's head popped into the room, wearing the glasses she used for reading. Trying to look cheerful, Brennan said, "Oh, hey, Hope! What's up?"  
  
Looking concerned, the red-head asked, "What's wrong, Brennan? You've been a bit upset ever since you saw Adam on the hologram yesterday morning."  
  
"What in the world makes you think I'm upset, Hope?" He tried to look confused. Unfortunately, it didn't work on Hope in the least bit.  
  
"Well- you see- ah-" Hope studdered. Then taking a deep breath, she said, "There's some things I haven't told you guys about me. You see, other than my earthquake ability, I can sense a person's emotions- I can't hear their thoughts, but I know how a person feels and can feel them myself- and I can see into the future- and it's not from demon possession, as far as I know. So come on- what's the matter?"  
  
Looking at her speculatively, he asked, "Who invited you into my emotions?" He was mad now.  
  
"I dunno- it just happened! I felt some sort of hurt while I was talking with Adam and after the conversation was finished, I started heading back to the kitchen when I passed by you. The sensation was strongest with you, but I didn't know if I should bring it up to you at that moment. Well, anyway, I found this while looking through some stuff before I left Genomex." She handed him a piece of paper with some writing on it, as she continued. "Some pretty rough stuff in it, Brennan- kind of like a confession to those closest to him. My mother, Shal, Jesse, and Darien have already read it- I couldn't bring myself to allow Lexa the privelege of reading it, too."  
  
Cautiously, Brennan took the paper and began reading its contents:  
  
'I have done much more damage than is   
  
needed. First, I ruin the life of the  
  
woman I have fallen in love with. I   
  
had the chance to make her mine and I  
  
blew it. Second, I am a fugitive from   
  
a man whom I once considered a friend.  
  
He believes that I have ruined his   
  
career, when, in reality, his covetous  
  
backstabbing has caused the beginning   
  
of his fall. And third, I have ruined  
  
the lives of several people who have   
  
trusted me for so long. Brennan, Jesse,  
  
Shalimar, Emma, Darien, and Hope all   
  
thought of me as their friend and if  
  
the day comes when they find out I once   
  
betrayed them, I hope they will find it   
  
in themselves to forgive me- especially   
  
Brennan. He is like a son to me, and I  
  
would not want him harmed intentionally.'  
  
Slowly, Brennan refolded the paper. 'He is like a son to me,' the note had said. Deep inside, Brennan knew his mentor had meant every word. A tear fell- a tear of relief, of joy, of determination. Wiping the tear away, he turned to face Hope and said, "Well, the first thing I'm gonna do when we get to Genomex is help you guys whoop Eckhart's butt and get Adam back. And when he's back- well- I'm gonna tell him I forgive him for whatever happened."  
  
Nodding her agreement at the first part of his sentence, she replied firmly, with a smile, "And we will whoop Eckhart's butt!"  
  
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That night, writing in one of her many notebooks, Hope was giving detailed descriptions of her plan, such as who would do what and when, how fast or slow an action would be, where attacks were to begin from and end at- every and all aspects that were potential strongholds, traps, probable weaknesses, retaliatory moves of their enemy, she made sure to cover that avenue thoroughly. Knowing how easily a small nap often became complete sleep for her, Hope refused to give in to sleeping. She knew that the sooner her plan was complete, every loophole plugged, every trick avoided and returned in a boomerang effect, the sooner she could sleep as long as she needed to, but defense and offense were needed more than that.  
  
There was a knock on her door about two in the morning, and in entered Shalimar, bedraggled and worn. Seeing her friend there writing her heart out, Shalimar whispered sweetly, "Hope, aren't you going to go to sleep, yet?"  
  
"In a few more minutes, Shal- I'm almost done here," Hope whispered back with determination. "Will you come over here and look this over for me? I want to make sure I've covered all grounds about this, Shal, and I'd appreciate your input." Handing the blonde woman the whole notebook she was writing in, the younger one added, "I don't know if it's finished, yet, but I have the layout completed. What do you think?"  
  
For several minutes, Shalimar was too busy reading to reply. When she finally did finish, she turned to face the red-head, surprize covering her face, and said, "Hope, I know you think your plan isn't finished yet, but in my opinion, there's nothing else needed at all- not even a 'Plan B'! I admit I don't know half of what some of your vocab words mean- maybe Jesse will, since he does a lot of research- but I've got only one word to describe your plan, Hope: Brilliant! I just love it, and I'm sure that everyone on the team- you, Aurora, and Darien included- will kick some major Eckhart butt!"  
  
"Really?" This reply had come with such a force that, in spite of her unwanted worries, made her cry with happiness. Satisfied with Shalimar's nodded assurance, the girl smiled broadly and said, "Well, then, without further ado, I shall retire for the night. I warn you, though, due to my lack of sleep tonight, I'll be sleeping in. Wake me up if I'm not up by half past noon, okay, Shal?"  
  
A simple smile said the answer as Hope crawled into bed and finally fell asleep; okay, my friend- I will.  
  
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Around midnight, Adam, despite his worry about tomorrow morning, found himself cheering up. Not only would he finally be reunited with his Mutant X family- he would at last meet the nearly twenty-two year old daughter that he'd never met face to face. "Oh, Aurora, I wish you were still alive," he whispered with a lovestruck smile, unaware that Jesse, the team member who could walk through walls, was right behind him with a silver- haired woman.  
  
"Your wish is my command, Adam," the woman whispered happily. Turning his face to look at her, as she was right beside him, Adam saw her slightly blurry body, like poor television reception, standing right there, smiling lovingly, sweetly at him.  
  
Unbelieving at first, the Mutant X leader was almost having a panic attack. Slowly, silently, carefully, she let go of Jesse's hand and kissed Adam ever so gently. When she finally pulled away, he was breathless and convinced- Aurora was indeed still very much alive, breathing, caring for him with all of her heart. Finally, Aurora whispered, "Adam, there is something you need to know when you're safe back at Sanctuary, so whatever you do, act as if you do not know about anything whatsoever. Is that understood?"  
  
She had asked him that question respectfully, concernedly, not demanding that he obey her. His nodding assured her, so she said, "Until we see each other again, then, my dearest Adam." Thankfully, none of the cameras in the room were working, as there had been another power failure, courtesy of Brennan, the electro-man, so they had not captured Aurora and Jesse entering or leaving the room and the building and did not come back on until they had left the compound itself.  
  
The cameras that surrounded the compound were out of commission, as well, until the Double Helix had disappeared into the clouds, where it could resume it's normal state.  
  
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When they got back to Sanctuary, poor Brennan couldn't sleep, and would not be able to until early the next morning. As soon as he returned, he went straight to his room, closed the door, and opened one of his desk drawers. There, descretely tucked into one of the corners, was a little velvet box, hiding a beautiful ring. While the girls had been away on their little shopping expedition, he had gone into town, searching for the perfect surprize for Shalimar. After much consideration, he had made the decision that would change his life- he was going to propose to Shalimar.  
  
But how? Shalimar knew what he was like well enough to probably know what his plan was in the first place. Then the thought came to him; Hope could help! She had planned and coordinated tomorrow's attack against Eckhart, and it was a very good plan of attack, as well. Quietly, he went down to the kitchen, where Hope would get some diet vanilla soda and pop bags of popcorn before going to the entertainment room with Shalimar.  
  
He knew that Shal would be reading in the entertainment room until Hope arrived with the soda, popcorn, and Moon Girl DVD. Walking into the kitchen, sure enough, Hope was waiting for the popcorn to finish popping. "Hey, Hope! I was hoping to find you here!" Brennan said, smiling cheerfully.  
  
"Alright, Brennan- whadya want?" Hope replied, feigning annoyance.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Hope, I've been wanting to ask Shal to marry me, but I'm afraid she might know what I'm up to before I'm able to. Do you know what I could do to ask her without scaring her off?"  
  
Looking at him thoughtfully, she didn't answer for a moment. When she finally spoke, she said, "Just ask her. I won't guarantee that, when you ask, she'll jump into your arms and shout her acceptance, Brennan, but I won't say that she'll go running helter skelter over the horizon, either. There's an old saying that goes like this: 'The greatest risk in life is not taking one.' You need to risk her running off or you'll never know if she'll say 'Yes' or not. Just ask, Brennan. Personally, however, I think she will accept."  
  
For a moment, Brennan was very quiet, so quiet that she thought he hadn't heard her. Then, he looked at her with relief and said simply, "All right- I'll do just that. How 'bout ya pop an extra bag while I go to the entertainment room and pop the question to Shal? I hate to intrude on your girls' night, but I think I'd like to spend some time with my two fave ladies," refering to Shalimar and Hope, whom he now considered to be his little siste.  
  
"Got it!" Hope said and, by the time she arrived in the entertainment room with the popcorn and soda, there was a beautiful, small silver ring, with inset heart-shaped diamonds, on Shalimar's hand, and a broad grin on Shalimar's face. 


	9. Chapter 9: The Promise

Chapter 9: The Promise  
  
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Hope:(Riding in Double Helix to Genomex, thinking) So, the day has finally come- Brennan, Shal, Jesse, Lexa (Why her?), Darien, Mother, and I are about to face Mason Eckhart at last! Mother agreed to the plan, but I'm beginning to regret it all. (Looks at Aurora with sad eyes) I'm a fool to put her at risk in the first place. (Looks at her hands as one of them moves) What am I doing? What in the world am I even thinking, trying to outwit someone like Eckhart? (Sees a silver promise ring on the hand which moved) The promise- yes, that is it! It was the promise I made with my new friends- to help them save my biological father and to rebuild what was shattered! I even promised Lexa, even though something tells me she's putting on a facade for us all. (Looks over at Darien, who is talking with Brennan about something) A promise is not just a promise to me anymore- it is a vow, one which I do not intend to break for anything! (Faces the front of the Helix, a determined smile on her face) My new friends, my mother, my first boyfriend (Smiles again, lovestruck at the thought), myself, and most importantly, my biological father- I will not let any of them down! Eckhart, on the other hand, is going down! (Looks out window and sees Genomex approaching on the horizon slowly) Eckhart, eat my dust! (Snickers aloud at the pun)  
  
Shalimar:(Aloud, to Hope) What's so funny, Hope?  
  
Hope:(Aloud, to Shalimar) I was just thinking about something, and at the end of it, I said to myself, "Eckhart, eat my dust!"  
  
Shal: So?  
  
Hope: Shal, I can cause earthquakes, remember? Earthquakes? Dust? Get it?  
  
Shal:(Finally catches on to the joke, and laughs) I don't know where you get these thoughts, but I gotta admit- that's pretty clever!  
  
Hope, Shal, Darien, Brennan, and Jesse all laugh at Hope's inside joke, leaving Lexa clueless (as usual;).  
  
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The Double Helix landed just a few feet away from the Genomex complex and the door opened, releasing one lone girl with red hair. Acting as though she were going to her own execution instead of fighting an enemy, she cautiously approached the door, knowing that it was unnecessary to knock- the camera had already spotted her and sent a signal to the control room. A second later, the bolts on the other side of the door clicked, and the door opened to the sight of Mason Eckhart himself standing there.  
  
"Well, well! I see that you have kept your promise to me," the scientist said, grinning wickedly.  
  
"Yes, I did- now it is your turn to keep yours," the redhead stated bravely.  
  
"Ah, yes! The release of Adam Kane, correct?"  
  
His sneer made the real Hope Landos, who was hiding in the bushes closest to the invisible Helix, want to throw up. 'How gullible,' she thought, 'can this guy be? Being totally evil is one thing- being totally evilly proud is something totally different, and this guy just doesn't know how foolish he really is!' Slowly, she slinked out from behind that bush. Sure she had missed some of what had been said, but she knew when she was cued in anyway.  
  
"Wait a second!" The second red-head shouted as she approached the first. Pointing an accusing finger, she said, "This woman is an imposter, Eckhart- I'm the real Hope Landos!" That was the cue that Aurora, disguised as Hope, was waiting for.  
  
"Oh, no, no, no, I'm the real Hope Landos," Aurora said, speaking, with complete accuracy, with Hope's voice.  
  
"Oh, yeah, and I'm Steven King!"  
  
"Alright, then what is the capital of England?"  
  
"London- duh!"  
  
"Is a right angle ninety degrees, one hundred eighty degrees, or three hundred sixty degrees?"  
  
"That is way too obvious- it's ninety!"  
  
"Okay, last one- what do you call a man who doesn't know how to care for anybody except himself, huh?"  
  
Then, in usison, the mother-daughter team looked at Eckhart, Aurora not yet back to her original state, and said, "A fool, like you, Eckhart!"  
  
Then, with a swift motion of her cape, waving it in front of her, Aurora returned to her own body shape. Eckhart looked horrified, as she walked towards him, backing up and shouting, "No! It can't be! Go away! Don't touch me, or I'll call the police!"  
  
Cackling, the older woman continued to move towards the mad scientist, as she began whispering repeatedly, "Lead me to the man that I truly love- I shall take him off of your hands! If you do not, however, then I shall take your life!" Reaching her hand forward, Eckhart continued to back away from her and started running down the hall, going at last into the room that Hope had never seen from inside, forgetting to close the door.  
  
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Adam had never seen such fear in the eyes of anyone, much less in the eyes of the man who was his enemy. Eckhart rushed over to the Vampire and pressed some buttons. Adam felt sad and closed his eyes, sure that the daughter he had so hoped to finally meet had lost. Despite the fear in the madman's eyes, he had won. Just as he finished this thought, he felt a tug on the arm that had the needle in it and, sort of hurriedly, Eckhart slid the needle out and unlocked Adam's bonds as a woman with silvery hair slowly entered the room.  
  
"Take him! Whatever you do, take him, but leave me alone! Am I to be blamed for all that has happened to you?" The man shouted and got down on his knees in a pleading manner.  
  
"Are you to be blamed for all that has happened to me, you ask?" Aurora said, offended. Then, with a scowl, she answered with one word; "Yes!" She then looked at Adam, who was breathtaken by her ability to look like a ghost, and asked, "Adam, will you come with me to safety? Where I am staying, you will not want any more than what you will have, and, with your wisdom and scientific knowledge, you will make friends quickly."  
  
Only Aurora and Adam knew that she was talking about Sanctuary, but neither showed it in their actions or words, and Eckhart, being as frightened as he was, wouldn't have caught their meaning, anyway.  
  
Pretending to be hypnotized, Adam slowly walked to Aurora and took her hand, saying, "Of course I will." Within an instant, Adam's appearance was like Aurora's and, having put Eckhart in the same chair he himself had been in and locked the bonds around him without hooking him up to the Vampire, left the complex, leaving Eckhart to starve for quite a while.  
  
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Hope had been waiting outside for them to come out and hadn't expected the rescue mission to be quick. But after five minutes, she was puzzled. 'Surely they would be out by now, wouldn't they?' She thought to herself as she looked through the doorway. Just then, as she was planning on going into Genomex herself, two figures appeared, moving right towards the entrance.  
  
She couldn't believe it- she was finally going to meet her biological father! He saw her, too, and began running over to her, carefully hugging her in his strong arms. A tear made it's way down her cheek and, when Adam saw this, he asked concernedly, "Hope, I know we don't really know each other all that well, but why are you crying?"  
  
Wiping the tears away, Hope sweetly said, "I'm happy- I'm just so happy we've met at last! My tears won't stop!"  
  
Brushing her cheek very gently, Adam whispered, "And I'm so happy, too, Hope! Now, what do you say we get out of here and go home?"  
  
"I second that," Aurora chimed in.  
  
With a smile on her face, Hope whispered, in a level loud enough for the three of them to hear, "Yeah- let's go home now." 


	10. Chapter 10: Mr & Mrs Adam Kane Already?

Chapter 10: Mr. & Mrs. Adam Kane-- Already?  
  
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Almost as soon as the team arrived, everyone filed into the cafeteria for a meeting. Sure, everyone thought it unusual for one to occur so soon after a rescue operation, but nothing could have prepared them for what happened next in the room. After they had gathered around one of the tables, Adam remained standing as he said, "Everyone, I want to discuss something with you all." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sure that you know by now what my beginnings in science were. Eckhart most likely told you all about it, but I wish to clarify things about them.  
  
"When I first started out, my motive was purely to correct any and all imbalances that occur inside human bodies. For instance, if one person had Cerebral Palsy, I would set out to find a way to put the needed chemistry to correct brain cell problems, correct bone structure, and arrange for physical therapy for the patient, like I had to do with Emma. Soon after the body and brain cells had recieved their proper treatments, however, Emma returned to me, explaining that something had happened to cause her to hear other people's thoughts.  
  
"Upon looking at her follow-up CAT scan, I noticed that the areas in the brain that had been affected by Cerebral Palsy, which I had corrected, had mutated to extraordinary levels, and some of the chemicals had also escaped into the blood stream. They then went throughout her body and affected her heart, the result of which I suppose took her life during the battle when I came up missing.  
  
"Once I realized that Emma and you all had special gifts, I knew that you would all be in danger one day. With that knowledge, I established Sanctuary, hidden in the mountains to keep men like Eckhart from getting their way and using you all for scientific research. At first, I had hoped to find ways to correct the imbalances which had occured within you, physically and mentally. But I soon realized that all of you who were already at Sanctuary had the common interest of wanting to use your abilities to protect other people, regardless of whether or not either they or you had any mutations.  
  
"That is the reason I had decided to create Mutant X. You see, had word gotten out, by way of tabloids or newspapers or even Eckhart himself, none of you would be safe from anyone who might use any of you for financial, personal, or scientific gain."  
  
After a few silent seconds, Hope said, "Adam?"  
  
Looking right at her, he replied, "Yes, Hope?"  
  
Hesitating for a milisecond, she said, "On the day before I escaped Genomex, I was cleaning out one of the rooms when I saw a piece of paper on the desk, with your handwriting. After I read it myself, I realized that it was a diary entry, written in the form of an apology letter. I then decided to take it with me to show your friends in hopes that its message would revive their trust in you.  
  
I had heard Eckhart tell your friends about what you were just talking about, but he left out most of the fact, so I knew they needed encouragement. I, ah, hope you're not mad at me for giving it to them."  
  
Adam's smile assured her as he said, "Don't worry about it, Hope! Actually, sometime last week, Eckhart tried to make me write a fake confession, meaning that I had to list for all of you the things that he did that he wanted me to take the blame for. I actually wrote two letters- the fake confession (I put his name where mine was to go and, since he hasn't read it yet, he doesn't know what he's gotten into) and the diary entry-style letter, which Eckhart tried to throw away.  
  
"Thankfully he's so forgetful that he must have misplaced it and, because of that, you got the truth out before it was too late. Thank you very much- I will never be able to repay you." Placing his hand on her shoulder, as she was sitting next to him, his gesture told Hope that his gratitude was beyond words.  
  
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That day, about midway through the afternoon, Adam and Aurora left together, claiming that they had a short errand to run outside of Sanctuary. Everyone thought that it was suspicious, but they decided to wait until they got back to ask. During their absence, Jesse, Shalimar, Brennan, Hope, and Darien sat in front of the wide-screen television in the entertainment room, watching another one of Hope's "Moon Girl" DVDs.  
  
Lexa watched them, envious of their close friendships. When she was a little girl, her father and twin brother had been her only sources of comfort after her mother's death. All that changed the day that she learned that she was pyrokenetic. Leaving them to watch their DVD, she went into the control room and, sitting at her desk, started reminicing about that day, unaware that Jesse would soon be following after her.  
  
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----Flashback----  
  
The little girl Lexa sat dejectedly on a light yellow couch and cried uncontrolably. The corrective brain surgery had gone well, but now there was a new problem- she had set Dr. Kane's office window shade on fire by accident. Thankfully he had simply decided to give her a CAT scan, run a few tests, and send her home, explaining to Jeremiah Pierce, Lexa's father, that he wasn't sure if the surgery was completely successful. Upon their arrival at their house, Jeremiah sat her down and gently asked, "Lexa, sweetheart, what's the matter? What happened? Did Dr. Kane hurt you?"  
  
With a sniffle, she replied softly, "No, Daddy- he didn't hurt me. I'm the one who-" another sniffle, "-the one who started the fire in his office, Daddy! I didn't mean to- I swear I didn't!"  
  
"Sweetheart, you couldn't have started that fire- there weren't any matches or cigarette lighter!"  
  
"I'm so different from the other girls, Daddy, because I can start fires simply by thought, not those things." Looking up at her father, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Daddy- I set Dr. Kane's window shade on fire because I was mad at Sandy Carlisle for making fun of me!"  
  
Soon thereafter, Mr. Pierce took Lexa and her brother down to Genomex and left them there- and they remained there until the day they managed to escape, each on different days.  
  
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----Flashforward----  
  
A clickety-click from one of the other computers drew Lexa back into the present. Looking towards the sound, she realized it was Jesse, the phaser mutant. He looked back at her and nodded, so, in an attempt to avoid any conversation, she nodded back. Her attempt, however, failed to make Jesse forget why he was trying to talk to her.  
  
"It might help to talk about it, Lexa," he said in a mix of concern and, surprizing even to him, a little bit of caring.  
  
"Talk about what?" Lexa asked in an attempt to act disinterested.  
  
"Whatever happened to you. Something has upset you, and I'm not going to give up until I know what happened." The caring was suddenly more evident than the concern.  
  
"Then you'll have to wait for a long time, Jess, because I'm not going to tell you anything." She was scared- she wasn't feeling pesemistic anymore, but she was starting to feel- love?  
  
"Then I will wait, Lexa." He knew it wouldn't be very long until she would tell him, so he sat there, still typing, still researching for somehow to make individual vehicles that would attach to and detach from the Double Helix- still waiting for Lexa to tell him what she had gone through and how she felt now.  
  
An hour passed and there was still no sign of either Adam or Aurora, when Lexa whispered, "My father left my brother and I at Genomex when I was a little girl. I still feel betrayed, but I know he was probably afraid for my sake. I just don't know if I can forgive him or not." A tear went down her cheek, as she said, "I guess that's why I've been afraid of opening my heart to guys, because I think that they might betray me, too."  
  
Then, as he slowly made his way to the computer she was at, Jesse softly replied, "Do you think I would myself, with as long as you've been around me?"  
  
His voice was so gentle, a tone that sounded like he was handling a breakable item of precious value, that Lexa had to admit that it had melted the ice around her wounded heart as it healed it. Then, in a slightly shy voice, she honestly answered, "With the length of time that we've been around each other, I know that none of you would betray me- especially not you, Jess."  
  
She stood as he reached her, shivvering, although this time without any fear of betrayal, as he leaned closer to her and whispered, "And I never- and I mean never- will betray you, Lexa." This time, without any time to doubt his words, Lexa allowed him to kiss her. It was so gentle that a tear sprung to her eye- a tear of ease and happiness. And, with his promise to her affirmed, she slowly broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. Concerned, Jesse asked, "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"No, Jess- you did something right, actually. You helped me to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that not everyone knows how to betray, regardless of whether or not they themselves were betrayed." Lexa said softly. "Thank you, for caring for me."  
  
Jesse then cupped her chin in his hand and said, "You're welcome." And, with that, he kissed her again, a kiss to which she responded, before they went into the entertainment room hand in hand.  
  
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"I think I know where they went, you guys," Hope said as she removed the DVD they had just finished watching. The "they" she was talking about were Adam and Aurora, who had been gone for what was going on three hours, making it around six o'clock in the evening.  
  
"Oh, really?" Darien asked. "Then tell us, oh wise lady!"  
  
Placing the DVD in its' case, she said, "They're going to Vegas to get married."  
  
"WHAT!" The others shouted in utter astonishment.  
  
Looking directly at the group, she said, "Come one, people; think about it! First, they were all starry-eyed when we started back after rescuing Adam. Then, as soon as we left the cafeteria after the meeting, they stayed behind, whispering and giggling like teenagers. And now, it's a little after six in the evening, and they're still not back yet! And, in addition to all of this, while we were returning, I spotted Adam signing the word 'Vegas' to my mom, to which she signed back 'Tonight' and he told her 'Yes!' I mean, put two and two together, you guys; wouldn't it be totally obvious by now that their absence wouldn't just be for a joyride or shopping for groceries or mall-hopping?"  
  
The thought was beginning to make sense with the others- ever since Adam had returned, there had been some chemistry going on, and it wasn't just a combo of soda powder and vinagar.  
  
"Hope must be right- when I was deaf, before Adam corrected it, I would often use sign language myself, to communicate with others," Darien said. "I even took a sign language class during my first year in college, where Hope and I just so happened to meet each other. And I saw them signing with each other, too, but I didn't really think anything about it until Hope spoke up."  
  
"And Hope is absolutely correct, guys," came a voice from the visual communicator. Looking at the screen, they realized that it was Adam, who had aparently overheard their conversation. Right beside him was Aurora, who waved her left hand for everyone to see the ring on her finger. "We're returning to Sanctuary to get a few things and drop of the Helix, and then we'll be going on a week-long cruise."  
  
"Wow!" Shalimar said in surprise. "We knew you'd get married soon, but we had no idea that you'd get married today; that's so cool! Congrats!"  
  
"Thanks, everyone! Well," said Aurora, "we're leaving the Los Vegas city limit now, so we'll probably get there anywhere around ten or eleven, so don't wait up if you don't want to. Gotta run now- bye!" They hung up, leaving their startled pupils to their confusion.  
  
"With the way they're acting right now, I'd say they totally miscalculated the time they'd be back on purpose," said Lexa. "It'll probably be around- I dunno, maybe midnight before they're back."  
  
"And it's a good thing they did, Lexa." Hope chimed. Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she asked, "Anyone up for a surprise wedding reception, slash slumber party?"  
  
Her plan was met with an enthusiastic, unanimous, "OH YEAH! PAR-TAY!" 


	11. Chapter 11: Oh Starry Night

Chapter 11: Oh Starry Night!  
  
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Sure enough, it was midnight when the Double Helix finally arrived at Sanctuary, just like Lexa had predicted. As newlyweds Adam and Aurora stepped out of the flying vehicle, silence greeted them.  
  
"This is strange- whenever I tell them to wait up, everyone normally sacks out, but whenever I tell them not to, they stay up," Adam said, confused. "What happened?"  
  
They soon would find out. When they entered the main area of Sanctuary, it was almost completely dark, except for the entertainment room, which had the big screen television flashing the main menu for a DVD, and the computers.  
  
"What the--"  
  
"SURPRISE!" Came shouts from above as lights came on in the room. There, in the center of the main area, was a bowl of punch, paper cups, plates, forks, and a beautiful cake with the words, "Congratulations, Adam and Aurora!" written in two golden, ring-shaped circles.  
  
With a gasp, Aurora exclaimed, "Oh my gosh- it's beautiful!"  
  
Hope stepped forward and said, "We all pitched in, Mom-- I made the cake."  
  
With an enthusiastic wave, Shalimar said, "I made the icing and did the writing."  
  
"I fixed the punch and got the party plates, forks, and cups ready," Lexa said with a smile.  
  
"And us guys put the streamers up. Whadya think?" Darien said proudly.  
  
With a hearty laugh, Adam exclaimed, "Okay, everyone-- forget the chit-chat! Let's eat!"  
  
This statement was met with an enthusiastic shout from everyone.  
  
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After Adam and Aurora had left, with Jesse and Lexa as their chaufeurs, Shalimar and Brennan were cleaning up the party, happilly enjoying one another's company. As Brennan started removing the streamers, he stopped, watching affectionately as Shalimar returned from taking the cake back into the kitchen to throw away the party things that remained. He watched as she held the trash bag in one hand and artistically scooped the items up with the other, with the hand that presently held the engagement ring.  
  
"Shal?" Brennan said kindly.  
  
Looking up at him, Shalimar said, "Yes?"  
  
"I am so glad that I'm going to marry you, you know that?"  
  
With a soft smile on her face, she replied, "I know-- and I'm glad, too."  
  
Leaning forward against the rail above her, he asked, "Do you want a big wedding or a small one, with just our friends?"  
  
She stood there, staring at him for the longest moment. Suddenly, dropping the trash bag, she walked over to the wall under him, made one big power jump from there to the wall across, and then made another to the balcony he was standing on, landing perfectly next to him. Then, in an uninhibited move, she kissed him sweetly, a kiss that he automatically responded to. Slowly, she broke it, before saying, "Brennan, I don't care if our wedding is small or gargantuan-- I just care that it's your's and mine."  
  
Brennan then whispered, "Me too, Shal-- me too." Then, in a mischievious tone, he asked, "Whadya say we race each other to get these streamers down? Last one done's a mummy!"  
  
"What if we tie?"  
  
"Then we'll race to see who'll finish cleaning up the party stuff!"  
  
"But what if we still tie?"  
  
With an impish grin, Brennan said, "Then we'll race Lexa and Jesse-- it's their turn to clean and polish the Double Helix, anyway!"  
  
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm! Deal!"  
  
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Once they had returned to Sanctuary, Lexa and Jesse got started cleaning and polishing the Double Helix, unaware of Brennan and Shalimar's bet. Emerging from the flying vehicle after vacuuming and picking up trash, Lexa watched in awe as Jesse worked on the finishing touches of polish. "Wow-- looks great, Jess," she said approvingly. "Need extra help?"  
  
"Maybe, Lexa," Jesse replied. "Have you ever attempted a 'Butt Buffer' before?"  
  
"A 'Butt Buffer'? What's that?" She asked.  
  
Feigning a haughty look, he said, "Stand back and watch a pro!" With ease, he walked to one side of the hangar, ran towards the Double Helix, jumped, and slid on his rear end across the hood, before landing like a professional on his feet. Then, looking at her, he attempted a French accent as he said, "Would you like to try it, Madamoiselle Pierce?"  
  
Unsure of how well she'd do it, she said, "I dunno, Jess-- I mean, I've never done it before, so I don't know if I'd be good at it or not."  
  
"C'mon, Lexa; it's easy! I'll stand over here and catch you when you land, okay?" He said it in such a way that she knew he'd keep his promise.  
  
Nervously, Lexa said, "Okay-- here goes nothing!" Following Jesse's example, she landed right in his arms as she let out a surprized and happy laugh. She had done it just like he had, and he had indeed kept his promise to her.  
  
"Told you I'd catch ya, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, you did-- thanks, Jesse." She said, ecstacy penetrating her voice. Then, uncharacteristically, she said, "I am more than glad that I opened my heart to you, Jess-- I've been set free from my fears!" Then, in a shy voice, "Thank you."  
  
Brushing his hand across her cheek and then cupping her chin, he said, "You're welcome, Lexa. And you've set me free from mine." Carefully, he lifted her lips to his, unaware of the presence of Brennan and Shalimar.  
  
When Brennan and Shalimar saw Jesse kiss Lexa, they looked at each other, smiled, and tip-toed out of the hangar, leaving the two alone.  
  
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Hope wiped her forehead in an act of false exageration. "Boy," she said, "am I glad we're done with that!"  
  
"Me too, Hope," Darien said, although he was more distracted with her at the moment. "Come to think of it, though, I wonder if it couldn't be possible that you set it up so that we'd have to work together."  
  
A blush, a very light one, came to her cheeks as she said softly, "Maybe I did."  
  
He looked at her, wondering if she was as afraid as he was about their new relationship. Oh, there wasn't anything to be afraid OF, but there was plenty to be afraid FOR. Slowly, he approached the subject. "Is there anything that scares you about us being together?"  
  
She looked at him and said, "Yeah, plenty of things."  
  
"Like what?" He asked.  
  
"I often wonder if we'll make it through the next battle. Or what will happen if one of us decides to leave, to try and find themself." Then, in a more sorrowful tone, she whispered, "Or if one of us is forced to go away for good because of an illness."  
  
Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her and said, "Unless something happens to me, I will stay beside you, through good times, bad times, even times where either one or neither of us knows what we want." Looking right into her eyes, he then said, "If what it takes for you to know that I'll always be there for you is to take a bullet for you, then so be it. I will never, and I mean never, let you down, Hope."  
  
"You will?" She asked, as a tune slowly began playing over the radio.  
  
"Without a doubt," he said.  
  
The music started them swaying in its' rhythm as the words started to flow.  
  
I've waited all of my life  
  
For the day when love appears.  
  
Like a fairytale in days gone by,  
  
He will rescue me from my fears.  
  
And now, I feel him standing close to me.  
  
And how can I tell him what he means to me?  
  
My heart stands still;  
  
Has he come?  
  
Oh Starry Night!  
  
Is this the moment I dream of?  
  
Oh Starry Night!  
  
Tell me; is he my own true love?  
  
During a break in the tune, he whispered, "Want to dance?"  
  
Sweetly, she whispered, "Of course."  
  
Every night I think of him  
  
Here in my lonely moon,  
  
Waiting for my prince to come,  
  
Wondering if he'll be here soon.  
  
And I sit patiently waiting for a sign,  
  
And I hope that his heart longs for mine.  
  
He calls my name;  
  
Is he the one?  
  
Oh Starry Night!  
  
Is this the moment I dream of?  
  
Oh Starry Night!  
  
Tell me; is he my own true love?  
  
Oh Starry Night!  
  
Is this the moment I dream of?  
  
Oh Starry Night?  
  
How will I know?  
  
Will his love show?  
  
Is he my own true love?  
  
As the song ended, he cupped her face in his hands, leaned in slowly, and then, ever so gently, kissed her on the lips. For Hope and Darien, Lexa and Jesse, Shalimar and Brennan, and Adam and Aurora, Valentine's Day wasn't on Febuary 14th this year-- the year was Valentine's Day itself.  
  
The End 


End file.
